Korecky Complete Game Helps U-M Throttle Wildcats

Friday, May 10

Evanston, Ill.

3:00 PM CT

Michigan

17-28, 11-14

Northwestern

19-25, 10-13

Michigan

Northwestern

5/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan baseball team collected 19 hits including three homers and scored in six of nine innings, and senior RHP Bobby Korecky (Saline, Mich./Saline HS) tossed an eight-hitter as the Wolverines beat Northwestern 14-6 in the series opener Friday afternoon (May 10) at Rocky Miller Park.

Korecky (4-6) fanned seven and walked three in taking the team lead in wins. After allowing the Wildcats (19-25, 10-13 Big Ten) six runs and six hits between the third and fifth innings, Korecky settled down and allowed two hits and no runs in the final four innings.

Each starter for the Wolverines had at least one hit in the game and seven of the nine scored at least one run as the Wolverines brought out the offense again. In recent games the Wolverines have scored 19 runs on 17 hits at Michigan State (April 20), 15 runs on 20 hits at Penn State (April 26) and 21 runs on 24 hits vs. Eastern Michigan (May 1). However, the Wolverines are 6-7 in the last 13 games including the big win at MSU.

The top three hitters in the Wolverine lineup combined for nine hits (9-for-17 .529), eight runs scored and six driven in with freshman RF Matt Butler (Glendale Heights, Ill./Driscoll Catholic HS) going 3-for-6 with a double and three runs scored, junior CF Blake Rutkowski (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) going 3-for-6 with a double, homer and two runs scored, and junior SS Brock Koman (Pueblo, Colo./South HS) going 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBI.

Senior/junior DH Mike Sokol (Sterling Heights, Mich./DeLaSalle HS) was the fourth Wolverine to have three hits in the game, going 3-for-5 for his 28th career multiple-hit game and his seventh three-hit game.

The Wolverines (17-28, 11-14 Big Ten) grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Butler and Koman blooped singles to the outfield and sophomore catcher Jake Fox (Greenfield, Ind./Indianapolis Cathedral HS) smashed his team-leading eighth homer over the centerfield fence for his second "gamer" of the season. Fox was 2-for-4 with four RBI.

Michigan moved the lead to 6-0 off Northwestern starter Zach Schara in the third inning as Rutkowski and sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (Arlington, Texas/Martin HS) each doubled and Sokol and senior/junior 1B Nate Wright (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew HS) each collected RBI singles.

The Wildcats touched Korecky for four runs (three earned) in the third inning on a two-run single by RF Brandon Ackley and a two-run double by 1B Travis Tharp and two more in the fifth as Tharp hit a two-out double to put runners on second and third and DH Jason Krysnki followed with a two-run single to centerfield.

Northwestern RHP Schara, who entered the game needing six strikeouts to set the Northwestern career record, was touched for a homer by Rutkowski, his second of the season, in the fourth inning and broke the Wildcat career strikeout record in the fifth when he fanned Fox for career K 274. Schara (4-3), the first of six Wildcats to take the mound, worked seven innings and allowed 13 hits and nine runs, all earned. He fanned seven and walked just one.

The Wolverines added two more runs in the sixth as Butler doubled and Koman launched a long homer to left-center, his seventh of the season and 21st career homer.

The Wolverines closed out the scoring with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth off five Wildcat hurlers. The sixth pitcher was senior infielder Matt Thompson, who faced two batters with his knuckleball and hit Koman before getting Roberts to ground out to end the ninth.

Michigan is scheduled to continue the weekend series at Northwestern with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon (May 11) with junior LHP Rich Hill (Milton, Mass./Milton HS) and sophomore RHP Jim Brauer (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) on the mound for the Wolverines.

Hill, who earned national Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly and Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week honors for his performances last week vs. Notre Dame and Ohio State, is 3-5 (3.43 ERA). Brauer is 3-5 (5.40 ERA).

N O T E S

Senior RHP Bobby Korecky's complete-game performance at Northwestern was his sixth in 10 starts this season and his 19th complete game in 34 career starts. Korecky moved his career innings pitched total to 286.1 in 63 career appearances. He ranks second in innings behind Mike Ignasiak (328.2, 1985-88) and sixth in career pitching appearances as a Wolverine.

Junior SS Brock Koman's eighth-inning RBI double was his 51st career two-bagger and was a scary moment as he lined the ball off the head of NU pitcher Evan Blesoff and the ball bounced over the fence near the Michigan dugout for a ground-rule double. Koman ranks fifth on the career doubles list at Michigan, and next on the list are Phil Price (53, 1987-90) in fourth, Jason Alcaraz (54, 1996-99) in third and Bryan Besco (55, 1995-99) in second.

Koman's 3-for-5 game vs. Northwestern on Friday was the 53rd multiple-hit game of his career and the 14th three-hit game. He has hits in 39 of the 45 games played this season and in 81 of the 97 Wolverine games the last two seasons.

When Koman was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning it was the team-leading 10th time this year and it was the 28th HBP of his career to take the Wolverine career record away from Scott Tousa (27 HBPs, 1998-2001), who set the mark last season. Jake Fox is second on the squad with nine HBPs this season.

Former Wolverines on hand at Rocky Miller Park on Friday included C/RHP Mike Haskell (1994-98), brother-in-law of Wolverine pitching coach Steve Merriman; OF John Papp (1996, '98-99) and LHP Pete Martay (1996-97, '99).

Michigan's hitting leaders after 45 games (35 at-bat minimum) include: junior 3B/SS Brock Koman (.388, 64-for-165), senior/junior DH Mike Sokol (.328, 43-for-131), sophomore C Jake Fox (.322, 37-for-115), sophomore LF Brandon Roberts (.307, 46-for-150) and junior OF Gino Lollio (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner HS) at .292 (42-for-144).

Michigan's hitting leaders after 25 Big Ten games are: SS Brock Koman (.395), 1B/DH Mike Sokol (.358), OF/DH/P Bobby Korecky (.320), C Jake Fox (.317), OF Matt Butler (.313) and OF Blake Rutkowski (.312).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423